One night, I listened intently to Suzi Orman, financial advisor, and I heard her say as she talked about stock market investing, " Don't think about what you used to have or what value a stock once held".

In other words the stocks that you once had are gone and just because they used to be good stocks does not mean that they are still good stocks and the investment may not be right for you anymore. She advised, to look at the stocks with fresh eyes. Analyze them as of today. If you were to look at those stocks right now, would you still invest?

As I listened, I thought about how often it is that we think about what we used to have. We think about the house we used to have before we lost all our material possessions or we think about the girl we used to date or the pet that we once held.

We think about all that we used to be able to do and we think about all the things that happened to us in our past. We carry these past events and memories, with us through everything we do and we continue to give our life energy to what used to be.

Stuff happen to all of us and some of this stuff, is hard to forget, hard to forgive and hard to to view as positive. Still we need to remember that it does not do us any good to stay hanging around in the "used to be" or the "used to haves".

There is only one thing that will matter in your life and that is what you will do with the life that you have been given from this day forward. Who you are as a person at this very moment or who you intend to be in the futures. It does not matter that you feel you have been dealt the wrong cards nor does it matter what her or she did to you in the past. Today, today is what matters. The little steps that you will take to change your world.

Where you are today, does not have to be where you are tomorrow. Much of what you see around you is there because, this is the place you came to from decisions you have made in your past. Perhaps, it was not a decision made but an experience that you had to experience for your inner growth and understanding. Where you are heading to now will be based on what you think and what you do today. Tough times may still lie ahead, but you can begin to view them as just part of the process of living.

What will do today to start to change your life?

Many Wave Riders believe that they are damaged. They believe they have a disorder. They cannot rely on themselves to stick with committments. They have this dark picture of themselves that is based on actions that were taken during the misunderstood wave rides and they do not really know who they are.

There was a time that we thought that we were movers and shakers and that was a good thing to be. The "up" us was what the world told us made us great. Wow, she is always so energetic! How do you run so many companies? How do you volunteer for so many projects at the same time? Then a time came when being a mover and shaker seemed no longer possible because we knew inside that the up only meant a disappointing down. The final result - we stop being creative and we stop trying new things. We stop believing in ourselves.

Movers and Shakers constantly take on projects and attempt to stay "up" until the inevitable burnout arrives and we are sent into depression. If repeated, this cycle can make us believe that we can no longer succeed. We begin to feel that our emotions are in charge of our life and we feel that we no longer can rely on feeling good enough to be a mover and shaker again.

Our emotions feel unreliable and we become frightened and non-committal. When you first read The Wave Riders book, you wake up to the fact that most of your life has been an illusion. It is just not who you really are. Your present that was created by decisions that you made while either riding an up or down wave has very little to do with the you that you were born to be.

So today is a first step. The first step in becoming aware of who you are. It is time to learn about you - the real you. It is not surprising that we often lash out in anger and frustration when who we are has been buried so deeply. We have been creating a life for ourselves while trying to keep afloat from the tumultuous waves that throw us between Heaven and hell. We have based all we know and see on what others told us was right and good and not what we were designed to do.

Understanding that our emotions can now be held to the mid-wave, by observing our patterns and living our personal rules, also means that we now have the ability to be all that we desire to be. We now have the tools to find our "gifts", the natural talents we were born with. We begin to honor these gifts by believing in ourselves and having faith that our dreams are possible. As we honor who we really are and stay true to our rules, we receive back our control. Before we build anew we need to let go of the past, as it is just a thing that happened some time ago. Now you understand and so now the past need not be repeated.

Today, start to create a distinct world around you that represents you in your true form. Make it one that allows you to feel good about living in it and begin to work on yourself to be the total sum of all your new actions. If you feel you are uneducated, take a course. If you feel you want to write, pick up a pen. If you want to dance, start to move your body, your arms, your legs. If you want a house, start saving. If you are already in the period of depression, then do not make important decisions about your life. Simply, take care of yourself and stop honoring the negative until you are mid-wave again and then begin to watch for the subtle hints of joy that indicate something around us is happening that our spirit recognizings as true to us. This is how you will discover who you really are under all your past movin' and shakin'.

What is it that you can and will do to make this life worth living?

Let's look back upon our lives with the peace of knowing we have done the best we could. Let us start today to be the best of who we are with the resources we have at hand. Let us continue to create an exciting world splashed with our own true colours.

Lets get excited about the new surroundings we will see or the new us we will become. Wipe clean the slate of the past and have fun painting a new picture on your fresh white and blank canvas. This picture is yours, just pick up the brush.

Enjoy your new life!

Indigo Irwin Kennedy